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Lovianization
Lovianization was a controversial policy of the Socialist Party of Seven which was implemented in the state by Anny Smith Peterson during her four terms as governor in the '60s and '70s. Lovianization advocated the deconstruction of ethnic identity throughout the state and the nation as a whole and their replacement with a homogenous Lovian identity. Various methods were employed to the end, particularly population redistribution, promotion of English-speaking schools, and most controversially, name changes. Economic incentives were used to encourage citizens to comply. History By the '60s, Seven's population was made up of a wide range of ethnic groups. The most numerous were as follows: *Russians: 40%, inhabitants since 1880 *Americans: 25%, inhabitants since 1903 *Dutch/Flemish: 25% *Scandinavians: 5%, the first settlers, inhabitants since late 1870s. Many of the Dutch and Scandinavians and some of the Russians admittedly spoke English as their native language, but in the '60s native speakers of English became a minority. This was due to the demographic effects of the 1956 famine, which had caused many American Seveners to move back to the mainland of the USA, and this had also caused the percentage of Russian Seveners to peak. Peterson feared this would lead to a return of the ethnic divisions of the early twentieth century, with two or three divided and autarkic communities in the state, which would be exacerbated by Davis Miller's liberalization policies which devolved power to the communities and removed restrictions on language teaching in schools. Peterson was also influenced by the Marxist view that nationalism and socialism were incompatible, as ethnicity served to divide the working class rather than uniting it. Prior to the 1962 election, the Socialist Party published a pamphlet entitled 'Recommendations Regarding the Reduction of National Identity in Seven,' which suggested that the different ethnic and linguistic communities of Seven should be encouraged using legal means to comply with assimilation to a 'Lovian national identity.' Although this identity was ostensibly to be unique to Lovia, in practice it was very close to the existing culture of the American-Lovians. After Peterson was elected, implementation of these policies began. Details of the policies Population redistribution The first policies to be introduced were those of population redistribution. The fact Seven possessed a large public sector was exploited, with ethnic quota being set across the country in government-owned businesses, which forced American-Lovians to move to Novosevensk and Russian-Lovians to move to Kinley when the quota in their own towns were filled. In the private sector, which was centred around Kinley, businesses were rewarded with subsidies for moving operation to Novosevensk. Citizens who moved to a different settlement were given generous tax breaks for the next five years in return for 'the contribution their mobility makes to the state economy.' English language The English language was also encouraged over the others. By 1966 all secondary school teaching except for two hours a week was in English, as was half of primary teaching. Schools which did not meet these guidelines received no government funds and so were forced to demand fees from pupils. Those employed by the government in jobs dealing with the public (such as policemen or medical staff) were prohibited from using any language other than English in an official capacity. Finally, the infamous Foreign Writing Tariff created heavy taxes for the import of written material not in English, as well as on printing presses that produced such material. Lovianization of names Peterson spent two terms out of office between 1966 and 1970. Upon her return, the last of the policies emerged, and the most controversial: Lovianization of family names. During the third term, she pursued a cautious approach, which consisted merely of government campaigns for citizens to Lovianize their names, and offered no incentives for the change. This proved mildly popular with the electorate, who mostly approved in principle of her attempts to unify Seveners. This gave a boost to the Socialists' confidence and after the next election in 1972, Peterson introduced once again an incentive for citizens to Lovianize - those with 'foreign' names had their 'citizenship marked for review.' Reviewed citizens found themselves in a difficult situation - processes such as opening a bank account were much more bureaucratic and awkward. Furthermore, reviewed citizens were in theory at risk of losing their citizenship (although not in practice, due to federal regulations that Peterson did not attempt to challenge) and therefore sometimes struggled to compete for jobs, as employers preferred to hire those not likely to suddenly leave. Around half of the those with Dutch surnames registered for a name change, as did perhaps a third of Russians. At the same time, however, a strong opposition movement emerged to Peterson's actions. The charismatic new leader of the Unionist Party, Greg Martin, showed solidarity with the non-American groups by changing his surname to Mertens, in a parody of Lovianization. After a petition by the SRL (Society for the Repeal of Lovianization) was signed by 20% of the population, it was clear popular opinion was firmly against the governor. She refused to back down, however, until Mertens predictably defeated her by a landslide in 1974. It was the worst performance by a Socialist candidate in Seven's history. Peterson obtained 17% of the popular vote, trailing third behind 'independent Socialist' Joseph McKinley who had left the Socialists in protest earlier that year. Examples of Lovianization *Michael Collins (more commonly known as MC Squad) was affected by Lovianization. His father, a Lithuanian-Lovian born in Novosevensk, Lovianized his name from Kalinauskas to Collins in 1972. *Alfred Young, priest of St Stephen's Church, was born Alfred De Jong, but his family Lovianized their surname in 1970. *Victoria Chan; author and CPL.nm politician who could not be given a traditional Chinese name. Effects The most immediate effect of Lovianization was to completely toxify the Socialist brand. The 'natural ruling party' until then, the Socialists were never again a major force in Seven's politics, even after they became part of the nationwide Lovian Democratic Party in 1980. Lovianization also affected national policies. The King reduced state autonomy after 1980, partly as a result of policies such as Lovianization which were the result of too much power being concentrated in the Governor's hands. Category:Policy Category:Law Category:Seven